The National Park Service (NPS) announced Monday that peak bloom for the Tidal Basin’s Yoshino cherry trees is likely to occur between April 2 and April 5 this year, depending on weather conditions.
NPS experts made the highly-anticipated prediction based on winter temperatures and forecasts for March 2021.
The “peak bloom date” is the day on which 70 percent of the blossoms of the Yoshino cherry trees around the Tidal Basin are open, according to NPS.
Peak bloom is usually between late March and early April, though it varies every year depending on weather conditions. It took place on March 15, 1990 (the earliest), and on April 18, 1958 (the latest) due to extraordinary temperatures. Forecasting cannot be made more than 10 days in advance.
Big news! We're projecting cherry blossom peak bloom to fall between April 2 – April 5. Peak bloom is the day when 70% of the Yoshino #cherryblossoms are open, creating gorgeous clouds of white & pink flowers floating around the Tidal Basin: https://t.co/Yd0Z1y1FHD #WashingtonDC pic.twitter.com/Twikj5mOs4
— National Mall NPS (@NationalMallNPS) March 1, 2021
The National Cherry Blossom Festival, scheduled to run from March 20 through April 11 this year, will include peak bloom, according to NPS’ prediction.
The festival, which was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, will feature a combination of in-person and online events, including meditation workshops, movie screenings, parades, kite flies, and more.
BREAKING NEWS 🌸
Peak bloom for the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin will start between April 2 – April 5 , 2021!
The 2021 Festival is March 20 – April 11 – for the full schedule of events, visit: https://t.co/c9gGIXtB3X#SpringBlossomsHere @NationalMallNPS pic.twitter.com/SWzryXqIDM— National Cherry Blossom Festival 🌸 (@CherryBlossFest) March 1, 2021
For anyone in the nation or around the world who is unable to view the cherry blossoms surrounding the Tidal Basin physically, Bloomcam will be available online 24/7 in real time. Bloomcam is provided in partnership with The Trust for the National Mall and EarthCam.
Click here to view the full schedule for the National Cherry Blossom Festival.